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Tehran is willing to restart nuclear negotiations with Washington as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated solely negotiations worked, and revealed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Walking a Challenging Path

Araghchi is navigating a complex course since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a stance of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material domestically that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the prior discussions.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader asserting the sites had been obliterated. Subsequently, Western states employed their right to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Suggested

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Status

Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be revived in certain ways if discussions restart.

The US president last week claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives claim they are not yet getting consistent overtures from Washington either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts negotiations is not part of a performance.

Diplomatic Standpoint

In his address to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that misuses the notion of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be resolved by combat operations. He asserted the assaults started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with full US knowledge and coordination, making confidence difficult to reestablish.

Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Solution

Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently sought to dictate their demands during the talks. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the final solution to address conflicts, but its standards, regulations and principles must be followed."

"Provided that they address to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and respect, they will receive a response in the same language."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been restored. We gained many lessons from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."

He added: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to eliminate, remains in place. The sites and equipment, if damaged, will be restored; what is essential is the will of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to shatter. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more united, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the face of this invasion."